The Chemical Reaction
by Dawn Shard
Summary: [It doesn't matter how complicated this is I'm going to save Rukia.] An interrogator and a man facing consequences of his choices are caught in the collapse of a corrupted governmental corporation and an unusual relationship. [IxR AU] [Chapter 10 up]
1. Prologue

**The Chemical Reaction  
**

**_Atagoki: _**_Here we are, once again. Reading another one of Dawn's never ending supply of Bleach fics. Wooplah! Anyway, this one is AU ftw because I'm losing my touch...so bear with my insane imagination and "creativity" as I try to create a fun and imaginative and interesting storyline. Enough banter, let's get on with the story.  
_

_**Story: **The Chemical Reaction  
_

_**By: **Dawn Shard_

_**Rating: **T for language, sexual references, alcohol/drug/tobacco references, sensuality_

_**Warnings: **None in particular for this chapter; probably slight language...but that's it.  
_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach; nor the chain around my ankle which that bastard Aizen put to keep me writing when I lost a bet. __—__.—__"_

* * *

**Prologue**

_The only true knowledge is in knowing that you know nothing __—__ Socrates _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Present day **_

_Rukia opened her eyes softly and tried to reason out where she was. It occurred to her she was still in her brother's house, completely ignoring his instructions of preparing for the move. At this point, she began to think of what she was going to do. Would she either ignore the empty suitcases and boxes screaming for her to fill them, or would she succumb and leave this place for a long time? _

_Rukia knew a lot of things. As long as she had lived, she had to admit she knew a lot of things. And Rukia was an educated person. _

_She spoke several languages fluently__—Japanese (her native tongue), English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portguese, Korean, and at present moment, she was learning Greek and Mandarin. She was a linguistics expert. However, she had to admit she also knew very little. _

_For one, she did not know how to solve a simple geometric equation. She did not know how to balance a chemical equation. She did not know how it was that plants could sexually reproduce or how it was her best friend Renji had such a great poker face. She did not know why she was allergic to pollen or polyester. She did not know why the sky was blue or how the leaves turned green every spring. Hence why her grades in school were so low__—at least for sciences and maths. _

_However, one thing she did learn in science was that love was a chemical reaction. Just a chemical reaction in your brain. Which was spurred on from chocolate and peas. And sometimes alcohol and drugs. _

_So every time a guy said he "loved" her, she'd tell him he's just experiencing a chemical reaction in his brain and "to kindly fuck off before she kicked his ass all the way to the remains of Chernobyl." Part of that came from not ever experiencing love. The other part came from fear of experiencing it. _

_But when the autumn haired young man stood in her door way as she opened the door which had been knocked upon, Rukia lost all control in her legs. They turned to jelly and mush, and she stumbled forward, then backward. Her knees buckled and she collapsed on the ground. The uncovered porch was holding water from the downpour of rain and salty tears mixed with warm rain streamed down her face. Her body became soaked by the second and soon she stopped feeling the sensation of water pouring down her back. Her eyes looked up for a second to see him, bent at the knees and arching his back towards her. His hand cupped her chin and a gentle thumb wiped away the combination of tears and rain. _

_"Don't go, please." _

_That was it. All he said. Three words. Three words that had more meaning than anything; even "I love you." Even "I would die for you." And at that moment, it was all the motivation she needed. And all the reason she needed to remember how she got here._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't understand what the point of kidnapping this...boy is." Rukia lamented softly, her eyes cold and hard.

"He's a free lance for information recovery or liberation of information. Doesn't matter; I know for a fact he's worked on liberating stuff for the CIA and I want to know what he knows."

Her eyes blinked a few times, then she tightened her jaw and folded her arms. "You've got to be shitting me Renji; I'm as stretched as it is...the entire thirteenth division is. Not to mention, I'm up to my eyeballs in shit Ukitake-san gave me. You can't possibly imagine that I have time to wipe snot off this kid's nose and do all my_—_"

"Christ, Rukia...you're such a whiny ass bitch. I talked to your boss and he gave it to some others to spread it out. So you have no way out of doing this."

She frowned and stood up, then used her open palm to shove him backward into a wall harshly, then stormed out of the room, fingernails gripping so tightly into her skin little crescents began forming. "Baka..." Rukia hissed. "And I imagine I have to appropriate him tonight, no?"

"Yep. Have fun with that."

"Sixty-one kilograms? I have to lug that all the way back here? You're out of your fucking mind, Renji...out of your mind..." she exclaimed, slamming the door to the conference room behind her and storming out.

* * *

**_Atagoki: _**_Well, how did you like it? It's different, I'll admit. And notice the connection between the quote and the day. It's going to be the basis for the entire fiction. Each quote will somewhat, foreshadow the chapter. They may range from proverbs, to quotes by people I know personally, to song lyrics, to poetry or even quotes from games, movies, etcetera. It just depends. I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to read and review, for there is plenty more to come. _


	2. Chapter 1

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Second chapter to this story:) Thanks to all the reviews. Now let's continue! _

_**Warnings: **Nothing special aside from language; but it is a longer chapter. It's a good thing. I think. XD  
_

_**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I am too poor to own Bleach. But Bleach owns me. _

* * *

**Chapter 1:  
**  
_Em boca fechada não entra mosca — Portuguese Proverb_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The autumn haired young man sat in the chair yawning and a hand hit him in the back of the head harshly.

"Ow!" he shouted.

"Show good manners; cover your mouth when you yawn." Rukia hissed, tapping a few keys on the computer. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, you answer yes or no. Now...is your name Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Nope. My name is Aoki Yume." he replied sarcastically. Another blow came from her hand and he groaned. "Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo is my name."

Rukia tapped a key on the computer. "Are you twenty-two years of age?"

"Yes."

"Are you Japanese?"

He grinned and slightly turned his head around, stopping halfway to his shoulder. "Nope, I'm Colombian."

Another whack from her hand. "Yes, I'm Japanese. Now my question, do you ever stop hitting?"

"Now, when I got you from your house—"

"You mean kidnapped."

"No. I did not kidnap. You came willingly as a prisoner of the federal government."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Sure. And I'm the queen of America."

Rukia was prepared to swat him again, but didn't do so. "Back on topic; when I got you from your house, what files were you accessing?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. What should he say? He grinned sloppily, then turned so he could see her face—_oh_, he _definitely_ planned on seeing this. "I was downloading porn."

Her eyes became narrow slits and a scowl crossed her lips. This time, she planned on knocking that smug grin off his face. Rukia stood up and grabbed him by the hair, then used her palm to hit his nose. "Be a smart ass one more time; I dare you. Do it."

He became silent and his eyes began to water after the impact. Perhaps he should shut up at this point.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Six hours earlier**_

_"Kurosaki Ichigo?" she asked, forcing a smile she didn't want to._

_"Yeah?" he asked, opening the door and little wider and leaning on the frame of the door. As she peered in she saw a two computers opened and a memory stick plugged in one. The other laptop had a flashing screen that said "download complete!"_

_"I need to speak with you in private."_

_"Okay." he opened the door and let her in. Rukia fumbled in her purse for her badge and gun. She pulled them out and waited for the door to click and close._

_The sound came at last and she whipped around and pointed the gun in his face, flashing her badge. "Make a sound and I'll blow your brains out all over the place. Now, come with me, I need to speak with you."_

_He raised and eyebrow. "I see the feds handle things better nowadays."_

_"Shut the fuck up."_

_"Nice language; I can see you're a classy girl."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
_**  
Seven hours later**_

"So, Rukia...how goes your interrogation?" Renji asked, stirring in a small pack of sugar into his coffee.

Rukia opened four sugar packets at one time and dumped their contents into her porcelain mug with bunnies and flowers painted all over it. An associate bought it for her twenty-first birthday. Then she grabbed the French vanilla creamer and began pouring the cool liquid into her coffee.

Renji raised his eyebrows and offered her his spoon.

"It's fine. It'd be better if the guy wasn't a complete ah." she replied, taking the spoon and stirring her coffee, then taking a sip. She made a face, then added another packet of sugar and began stirring it in.

"Do you have enough sugar in there? God bless Japan..."

She made a face and hit him with the back of her hand in the shoulder. "Yes, I do, thanks." Rukia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he refuses to talk."

"Should I got talk to him?"

"Please, you'd just inspire him to get cockier. Do me a favor and stay away. Anyway, Inoue is probably in there tending to his needs so I'll go get me something to eat and pop back. Care to join me?"

Renji nodded and followed her to the cafeteria. As Rukia bought herself a salad, hamburger, and fries, she looked over and saw Kurotsuchi Nemu in line behind her. "Nemu-san, good to see you. Did you get the computers and hard drives from the Kurosaki file?" she asked trying to get the unusually shy girl to talk.

Nemu nodded, then paused and shook her head. "If I may join you, I should like to explain."

Rukia smiled somewhat and showed her to the table where Renji had selected seats. "So, what's up, Nemu-san?"

Nemu smiled half-way, then motioned for Rukia to start eating. Rukia gladly accepted the invite and dug into her salad. "Well, data recovery is hard. This Kurosaki Ichigo-kun is very good at covering his tracks. It's as if there was no data implicating he's been hacking and obtaining information from places like the CIA. It's as if he knew you were coming and erased the memory. But I found this," she paused to show a memory stick, "lodged into a part of the computer that didn't belong. I scanned it and tried to lift information off it. It's got something on it; it's just encrypted. And even worse, it's like he's mixed up languages. Some Arabic here, some Japanese there, some English here, some Portuguese...it's frustrating even though Father made sure I'm very aware of almost all languages. It's just annoying to have to switch my mindset. I hate to seem bossy, but Kuchiki-san, could you—?"

"I'll talk to him." she replied, grabbing a black ink pen from her pocket and scribbling the reminder on her hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**In Interrogation Room 2**_

"Is the meal to your liking?" the fair-skinned girl asked, as she observed him eating. 

He nodded, then shrugged. "It's okay; I mean, honestly, I don't like my chicken with this much sauce, but whatever. Take what I can get. Do you mind if I ask you a question, though?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "Go right ahead."

"What is this place?"

She bit her tongue. "I'm not at liberty to say. Anything else?"

"What's your name?"

"Inoue. Inoue Orihime. I'll be tending to you during your stay."

"My stay?" he chuckled icily. "You make it sound like you're my casino host in Las Vegas or something."

She bit her tongue again. "Sorry."

"Don't be. But what's up with the girl who came and kidnapped me? It's like someone shoved a widescreen television up her ass."

Orihime tried not to laugh, but a giggle came out. She clasped her mouth with her right hand, as her left held her pager and a panic button 'just in case'. "Kuchiki Rukia-san is a very difficult person to understand, but she's very intelligent and good at what she does."

"And what does she do?"

Orihime turned slightly pale, then grabbed the tray of food from the table and took the pitcher of water she brought with him, placing a napkin and packet of moist towelettes on the table. "Kuchiki-san extracts information for the Gotei thirteen."

"And what is the Gotei thirteen?"

"We work for governments." she began to shift uncomfortably.

"Which governments? And what is it you're doing for the governments that concerns me?" he folded his arms.

Orihime opened the door and stepped through, beginning to close it, then poked her head back in. "I'm not at liberty to say. I'll bring you some clothes to change into later so you may rest as well as some blankets and pillows for the cot. Have a good evening, Kurosaki-kun."

* * *

_**Atagoki: **Yes, in this story, Inoue works for the Gotei 13. Why? Because she can. Because I told her to. Because I'm a bossy bitch ass witch and I made her that way because it's my AU. _

_Or because I wanted to make her that way because I find it easier to develop the story. Also, Ichigo and Inoue will have just met each other. They will not be old chummy pals. They will not know each other through Tatsuki. As far as I'm concerned, Ichigo is an outsider in their world. xD  
_

_Now...unless you understand Portuguese, you'll be wanting to know what the quote said. _

_It translates to "a fly doesn't enter a closed mouth." It basically means "know when to keep your mouth closed," which I tried to center the chapter about, considering Ichigo's wise cracks and Inoue being questioned. _

_Read and review. I plan on updating again on Wednesday or Tuesday...I dunno which yet_


	3. Chapter 2

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Third chapter! Sorry I've been away! I was at the beach and fanfiction has been rather unkind to me. XD Anyway...on with the story!_

**_Warnings: _**_None aside from the usual language, amores  
_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do own some bleach, but not this Bleach.   
_

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

_The reverse side also has a reverse side. — Japanese Proverb_

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"What the hell? Why are you bringing Kurosaki into my office?" Rukia hissed, looking up from her stack of paperwork.

Her desk, was as expected, organized. Every picture was lined up in a row, her pencils and pens and writing utensils were in an organized tray with labels. The office was a cool green with large windows and tan and wooden furniture. The place was clean and neat and organized. Ichigo expected this much.

"Yo, Rukia. What's up?" he grinned as the escort pushed him into a chair by a table.

"Shut your ass up." she snapped, smacking him on the back of the head.

The escort shrugged. "Look, Kuchiki-san, I'm just here to escort. The psychologist said something about he might cooperate more if he's under less hostile conditions. Just take him and do whatever. Get him a hooker, get him a beer, just do something. Everyone is getting impatient from the pressure the J_—_the A_—_the governments are putting on us."

The escort left the room in a hurry and Rukia was standing there, confused and half-irritated.

"So, what's with the green? I took you for a white office that looks clinical. You're so meticulous." Ichigo began before he could stop the words from escaping his lips.

Her eye twitched and she inhaled, as she went over to the bureau and pulled out the box of matches and began lighting a few of the candles and turned on the small water fountain. "It's for my rage issues. It's supposed to be therapeutic. I hope you don't mind incense candles or this fountain."

"Actually, I hate incense and the fountain will make me want to go take a piss."

"Glad you like them. I do too." she answered, gripping the table harshly and ignoring his words, then added, "Now, I've got this note here that says I'm supposed to play music to help you loosen up around me. It also says I should tell you I want us to be thought of friends and make it sound convincing."

"Aren't you supposed to read that to yourself?"

"Probably. But I want you to know I have no intention of paying a speck of attention. To the last part, that is."

He raised his brow as Rukia strode to her desk and plugged in a small stereo and placed an iPod in it. "Pink? I didn't take you for a pink_—_"

"Shut your ass up." she hissed, then pressed the shuffle button. "Okay, let's begin. What connections do you have to the black market?"

He smirked and raised his eyebrow. Rukia frowned. "What do you want _now_, Kurosaki?"

"Nothing; you listen to that American band Journey?"

She frowned and looked at the song. It was _Separate Ways__ (Worlds Apart). _"So?"

"Nothing; you know, I like that song and band. I just figure I'd share. What bands do you like?"

"Shut your ass up."

"Is that all you say?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Ooh, that's so much better_—OW!_ Hitting does not solve problems, _Rukia_!"

"But it makes me feel better, _Ichigo_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Orihime looked up at the clouds and smiled a little bit, then snapped her head towards Rukia's office as a loud crash was heard. It was followed by the door opening and Ichigo being shoved out, full speed. Rukia's hair, was in a puffy mess and her face was red. Her eyes were ablaze and she took a small foot, wearing a leather boot, and kicked him in the side, followed by the thigh, then the leg. "Hmph!" Rukia turned around and walked into her office and slammed the door behind her.

Orihime rushed to Ichigo's side and turned him over, to which he was laughing hysterically, then cringed from the bruises that would soon appear. "Kurosaki-kun? What happened?"

"She's so easy to rile up!" he gasped from laughter.

"Kurosaki-kun! What did you do to Kuchiki-san?"

"I kissed her!" Ichigo managed to get out, then started laughing his head off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"HE WHAT?" Renji screeched, slamming his fist on his desk.

"He fucking kissed me!" Rukia repeated, pacing in his office and squeezing her hands into fists so hard, little crescents appeared from her fingernails.

"I'm going to burn his lips off!"

"Burn mine!"

Renji took a deep breath. "Well, what should we do?"

"I swore I smelled liquor."

"What the hell? You think I'm drinking on the job?"

"Not on you, baka! On Ichig—Kurosaki!"

Renji raised an eyebrow. "So get him to pee in a cup and do a test."

Rukia made a face at his grotesque description, then shook it off. "I already called Hanataro to do so. I just want to know how the hell he's been getting it if he is intoxicated."

"The report is here, Kuchiki Rukia-san." a voice from behind stated meekly.

"Well, hand it over!" she snatched the papers from him and scanned over it, then furrowed her brow and handed it back. "What the hell does this mean?"

He smiled gently. "It means he had some alcohol in his system. It's trace, but enough to impair him slightly."

"Who the hell gave it to him then?"

"I don't know, but apparently, when he arrived, Kurosaki Ichigo-kun was highly stressed and irritated in his sober form. I'm sure they gave him just enough to loosen up and see if he would cooperate."

"Maybe I'll just shove my foot up his ass and see if he cooperates. Damn it; why the fuck don't people tell me these things when he's part of MY job?" Rukia retorted furiously.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, Kurosaki-kun, what happened, if you don't mind my asking…?" Orihime began, stumbling slightly.

Ichigo had become less talkative after he was returned to the interrogation room and his lips formed a scowl and his eyebrows formed a cross expression. "I don't feel like talking about it."

"I understand…apologies. Shall I serve you the small amount liquor I was suggested I serve every few hours by Kotetsu Isane-san to calm your nerves?"

"Iie. No. I don't want anymore. Ever."

"Hai." Orihime answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rukia swallowed a lump in her throat and frowned as she thumbed through the papers for an excuse to talk to him. He was unusually quiet and the situation was awkward. There were no sarcastic comments or spiteful statements intended to piss her off. The only thing there was a seemingly impenetrable silence. And somehow, Rukia's thoughts drifted for a moment about how she felt right now. To be honest, she hadn't been mad about the kiss, but more so, about the fact her face was so red after he had done it.

"Rukia, may I ask you a question?"

"Hai."

"Why do you work here?"

"Because, my brother's family has been a part of this for centuries. This very organization is older than either of us and even my brother and a lot of my co-workers. It would be a dishonor for me to not accept the blessed honor of working here. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm just wondering how far you're willing to go to know about a few bad deals and choices I made."

"I…am confused."

"Is this place as special as you think?"

"Nani? What? Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"Just answer the goddamn question!"

"I believe this place has good intentions, even if some of the things I—we do are questionable. But I stand by it."

"So ka. I see."

* * *

**_Atagoki: _**_So, this chapter started out fun...but it's about to get more complicated. I think the end is showing you the type of twist. As much fun as it was to write Ichigo as I had the previous chapters, that's coming to a close so I can get him to the state he's normally in so I canset the stage for the underlying plot. Next chapter will spark something with someone you may not expect to appear. The chapter after that will start involving some politics._

_For the proverb, I dunno how it came about. I think it was just showing that Ichigo's got another side to him and such...I don't know...it just seemed to fit to me. .::shrug::._

_Read and review, amores. _


	4. Chapter 3

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! xD I'm just getting in the mood for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that's coming out...it's insanity...I think I'm going to go nuts before it comes out. XD Anyway, here I am, writing another chapter for this piece of fanfiction. The not-so-nice bit of the story will come out now so be prepared. I'm giving you a good warning here...just keep that in mind. Also, this chapter is dedicated to everyone who wrote a review and now, I'm going to give you some feedback!_

_Luna: Ha, thanks girl! And thanks for beta-ing this chapter I fixed a few of the errors. You tell me if I need to edit anything, all righty?_

_Akum: Thanks very much. I appreciate it greatly. I will certainly keep going. :)_

_Broly: Lol...is that a compliment or an insult?_

_crashx: Your reviews are so sweet and I thank you very much. It makes me feel warm and gooey inside knowing that my writing has affected you in that way. I hope you stay in for the long haul. _

_temptedangel: Thanks...it's been hard for me to keep a canon plot fic going so I'm trying my hand at something knew, ya know? And I agree, some AU fics are more fun than canon fics, but only if they're done properly. Part of AU is slightly remolding the original character, but if I make Rukia someone like Rangiku it'd probably be poorly written._

_Pixar: Yes, love, I shall shower you with cookies...and yes...I'm writing more. _

_nighteh: It's? Teh awesome? xD Thanks for the review, amor._

_kisaragi: Arigatou...I'll keep the updates coming as fast as I can if you can promise to keep reviewing and letting me know your thoughts. ;)_

_Tasi: Eh...he was fun to write, but I've gotta change him so I can get the plot working...but subplots...subplots._

_Naruto: As the plot thickens, so do the characters and their pasts.  
_

_**Warning: **Ooh, we're getting dangerous now! Not...just some sensuality and language...and slight sexual references  
_

_**Disclaimer: **I disclaim Bleach. (Weren't expecting that, were ya?)_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 3:**

_It started out with a kiss; how did it end up like this? It was only a kiss. __— The Killers_

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The gentle pitter-patter of rain fell against the window and Rukia curled up in her bed at home, sipping a hot cup of cocoa and munching on a pastry as she flicked on the TV and looked around for a good movie on. She finally gave up after thirty mere seconds and popped in one of the movies she absolutely adored while studying in America a few years ago, _S.W.A.T._

But even what one of her friends in the United States, Sam, called Colin Farrel's "hotness factor" did not distract Rukia. Her thoughts kept traveling to that millisecond of a kiss. It was annoying. It was infuriating. It was enough to make her want to consider jumping into ice cold water in hopes of amnesia. "Why the hell do I give a fuck? He's an asshole and after this job, I'll never see him again. Get your act together, Rukia. You don't care. You're flattered. You're probably horny from all those incense candles. Now, get a few beers, get wasted and enjoy your well-deserved goddamn day off. Come on, Rukia." But her coaxing didn't work. She repeated this to herself, but it always ended in one conclusion; she was attracted and it scared the hell out of her. She'd do her best to avoid any possible reactions. She'd_—bzzt! _

Ten minutes into her thought process, her cellphone began ringing to the beat of Colors of the Heart by UVERworld as well as vibrating and Rukia resisted the urge to throw it into the streets and continue watching the movie and trying to relax her nerves. She answered the phone and gave a snappy and irritated "Moshi moshi?"

"Moshi moshi, Rukia-chan. It's Rangiku. I thought we could get together for lunch. Maybe that nice restaurant near the mall...my treat!" the voice on the other line replied.

"Oh, Matsumoto-san...I don't know...erm...I suppose that will be fine...I'll come by and pick you up around half-past twelve."

"Sugoi! Great! Ja mata! See you later!" The line clicked and Rukia sighed as she made her way to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kurosaki-kun, I've brought you your lunch...can I get you anything else?" Orihime said, smiling gently. She couldn't explain it, but the highlight of her day was coming to see him everyday.

"Arigatou, Inoue. Just leave it on the table...I'll eat later. Right now, I'm not hungry."

"Demo..."

"I said not now."

She nodded her head and swallowed the lump in her throat, then stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Ichigo sighed and fought the urge to eat, but grabbed the knife and fork and pulled the napkin off the plate of food. Steak, salad, and potatoes. A typical American meal. He couldn't complain though; at least he _was_ fed.

However, despite his attempts to eat and concentrate on savoring the bite of the juicy and well-marinated and prepared steak, his thoughts traveled back to "his" actions. He had to admit, he was pretty stupid. Kissing Rukia was a foolish idea and it was even more foolish when she kissed back. Or he thought she did. Did she? He couldn't remember. Maybe it was just him wishing she had. He mentally slapped himself and began whispering. "She hits me, she kicks me, she shoves me, she yells at me, she cusses me out and I want to sleep with her? Damn it, Kurosaki...get a hold of your fucking self. You're probably horny from all those incense candles she burns. Seriously, just ignore her and remember that when you get of here, it's the end of that. Seriously, Inoue is a much better love interest than that midget Rukia." But as hard as he tried, he couldn't do it. He couldn't think about Orihime. Only Rukia.

He felt suffocated. He felt absorbed by this place. He wanted out. He wanted to escape this hell hole. And he wanted to do it now. He fingered the steak knife with his fingers and looked up at the door as the girl with gray eyes entered the room. His amber eyes flashed. He was getting out of here now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So...anything interesting going on with you, Rukia-chan?"

"Not really, Matsumoto-san. Eh...I'll just have an espresso." she told Rangiku, then looked to the waiter

"I want ice cream and cake...arigatou." Rangiku looked over to Rukia after ordering. "Call me Rangiku, Rukia-chan. We're friends. Anyway...nothing you say? Demo...what about that liplock I heard from Kotetsu Kiyone-chan?" Rangiku teased playfully.

Rukia's heartbeat quickened and she grew a disgusted look on her face and frowned. Her eyes narrowed and she dropped the dessert menu (which she was still scanning for some odd reason) from her hands and looked at her grinning friend and began examining her.

Matsumoto Rangiku_—_second-in-command in her division of the company, which dealt strictly with importing and exporting, and did a little bit with server maintenance. She also happened to be incredibly attractive_—_the figure of almost every male (and some female) fantasy. She was very proud to show she had been blessed when it came to a cup size by wearing revealing outfits and had a pair of sparkling light blue eyes matched off with strawberry-blonde hair. Her lips were full and she had an amazing smile. But Rukia wasn't the least bit jealous. At least, she told herself that, but she often found herself longing for Rangiku's height opposed to her extremely petite frame.

"What did she tell you?"

"Oh, nothing...just that you and Kurosaki Ichigo had a hot make-out session!" she giggled, trying to control herself in the restaraunt.

"That is a lie! It was a kiss, not a make-out! And it was Ichi-Kurosaki's fault!" she hissed, blinking several times.

"I'm kidding. I totally made that up. I haven't talked to Kiyone-chan in ages." Rangiku replied, raising and eyebrow. "But you did kiss...interesting. How did that happen?"

Rukia opened her mouth to reply, but Rangiku's cellphone began blasting a beat Rukia was familiar with, "Asterisk" by Orange Range. Rangiku was in love with that song.

"Moshi moshi." Silence. "Oh, hello, Hitsugaya-san. I'm on break." More silence and a stifled giggle from Matsumoto. "Ay, Taichou, you're so mean. I'll do paperwork later..."

_Taicho?_ Rukia mused to herself in thought. _Oh, I remember Rangiku-san saying that she called him that because he acted like a captain of her life. _

"Okay, fine, Taichou...I'm leaving lunch. Allez bye-bye."

Rukia raised her eyebrow and called the waiter for the check. "French?"

"What? Is there a problem with adding culture to my life?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kurosaki-kun! Please, let go of me!" Orihime cried, trying to use her pager to call security. "If you do this, you will only be in further trouble...onegai! Please!"

"Stop talking, Inoue...I didn't do a damn thing to begin with and I'm not going to be treated like a criminal for that. Now, where's the nearest exit?" Ichigo hissed in her ear, poising the steak knife at her neck.

Orihime peered around the corridor and tugged at the arm wrapped around her neck. "I don't know..."

"I know you do. Now, where is it?"

Orihime began to feel beads of sweat form on her forehead and all over her body. She peered about and looked right. Wasn't that the way to the security offices of the special forces of the eleventh sector? Yes, it was...she thought. "Right...go right."

"Thanks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Matsumoto, where the hell have you been?" the young, irritated captain called across the silent hall.

"Ne? Oh...Taichou! Hi! How was your day? Did you have a good lun_—_"

"I had a horrible lunch because I was doing the paperwork I assigned you and you were off playing hooky with Kuchiki-san here on her day off. Get your ass in the office...you're doing your share of paperwork...and half of mine for the next two weeks."

"Demo...Taichou...you're so mean!"

"Deal with it. The rest of the division and company does. Now go!" he grabbed her by the arm and shoved her down the hallway, then looked back at Rukia.

Hitsugaya Toushiro_—_twenty-one years old. He was quite short (although plenty of people claimed he was growing by some miracle) with spiky white hair and aquamarine eyes. His white hair was quite the spectacle, but he was not planning on dying it. He also seemed to have a knack for tanning, where as people like Rukia burned.

"Kuchiki-san; you're brother mentioned something to everyone in a meeting about telling you there's something in your office he needs you to see. Tell him if you see him that I passed on the word, all right?" Toushiro instructed, then walked off and stormed after Rangiku, his short fused temper began exploding.

Rukia sighed and shook her head, then made her way down the corridors and halls to her office, noticing Renji sitting a chair...and...jerking?

"Renji! What the hell are you doing?" she screeched.

"Sumimasen...I was playing this PSP I confiscated...it's pretty fun...wanna give it a go?"

She raised her eyebrows and then rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Hell no. Why are you here anyway?" Rukia made her way to her desk and noticed the piece of paper standing out like a sore thumb in her mass of organization. She picked it up and her eyes scanned it, then she looked at Renji.

Renji scratched his head and yawned, then pocketed the PSP. "Oh, right...your boy Kurosaki escaped and Inoue Orihime is missing. It's probable they're together."

She nodded and chewed on the thought for a minute, then looked back at him. "Wait...WHAT?"

"Well, technically he's still in the building, but anyway, I can't find him and with Inoue leading him, it's like the blind leading the blind. Both don't have much of an idea of where they're going."

Rukia took her shoe off in a quick motion and chucked it at Renji, hitting him in the chest and and she stormed over and hit him in the head. "Why did you tell me earlier? Why isn't security looking?"

"I don't know...well...actually, the security system is off line for some odd reason...must be a glitch and my cellphone reception is crap here...so I heard you were on your way back and I figured I'd wait and let you know after I looked for a bit."

"Renji, baka!" she used the palm of her hand to hit him in the head again, then grabbed her shoe and slipped it back on.

The door began to jiggle as Rukia stormed to her desk and she whipped around, looking at the door, then to Renji, then back at the door. Her eyes asked the question, to which his replied the same thing; _Who?_

The door burst open and two stood there, one with a steak knife poised at her neck and the other standing there in frustration. "Inoue, do you even know the way out of here?"

"Kuchiki-san! Abarai-kun!" Orihime cried.

"Ichigo..." Rukia murmured.

"Rukia..." Ichigo murmured in response.

Her eyes softened for a minute and she got a feeling in her stomach that felt awful. It was a mix of her stomach knotting and butterflies and she silently told her mind to behave. Her famous "cold, hard bitch" face appeared.

"Think fast!"

* * *

_**Atagoki: **CLIFFY! HAH. xD So...you wanna know the conclusion of this little episode? You best review. Tell me what you guys wanna see next too...I might run out of ideas soon and God forbid that. xD_

_Arigatou!_


	5. Chapter 4

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Wow...so many reviews for this chapter! I'm so honored all of you like my story this much. It's truly honorable and I appreciate each and everyone of you taking the time out of your day to write me such beautiful responses to my story and telling me what you think. It's just...making me wanna cry! xD So..in response to everyone:_

_night: Oh, you know teh UVERworld addict I am; I couldn't resist doing it, amor._

_Mariko: Thanks! xD I luff that you think it's luff. I appreciate it tremendously._

_Danielle: Thanks for reminding me; I forget from time to time so I'll try and start getting that worked in. ;)_

_Kanai_: _Teh rum! But jokes aside, yes...I'm excited about all those things and thanks for the compliment._

_Conch: I'm sorry. XD I know I couldn't resist Renji with the PSP...he's such a goofy dork. But I like 'im._

_4r0y: LOL...thanks for the compliment. This is my first AU so I'm really excited about how it's going and I hope it can only go up from here. _

_Pixar: I'm a bad girl. But here's a cookie for you and everyone. _

_Lendra: I'm glad I was able to bring amusement to you with my story. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sorry for the cliffy, but I just wanted to see the response._

_Vanilla: I plan on writing plenty more...I want to milk my brain for all this story is worth. XD_

_Jubilee: Ah...I replied to you, but anyway...yes...Inoue was reckless and Rukia has been too...so I'll make sure I get that handled accordingly. _

_**Warnings:** None this chapter..maybe a little violence and language...that's it._

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach, but wouldn't it be nice if I did?_

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

_Rule number one; do not get caught. __—_ _Walter Burke; (S.W.A.T.)_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All right; so Ichigo was a fool for following Orihime. He mentally cursed himself. He trusted her and she led him into the mouth of the tiger_—_or office of the tigress in this case. And getting taken down by Rukia's brother had been no picnic. That guy was fast like hell.

It was embarrassing, to say the least, especially since he broke the first rule of not getting caught.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Orihime chewed on her lower lip. So technically, she had been rescued. But it wasn't were she intended on going. Her original plan was to get to the eleventh sector, just because they were in charge of, as her friend Arisawa Tatsuki liked to call it, brute force.

"So, Inoue Orihime-san, you wanna shed some light for us? Exactly WHAT the hell were you thinking giving him a bloody steak knife? Why didn't you just give him a chainsaw and a sawed-off shot gun while you're at it?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri questioned, the corners of his mouth turned down.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri; the most disliked division head of all. His "daughter", Kurotsuchi Nemu, was the bi-product of one of his mad experiments and inventions. She was in a car accident, losing her mother (and her mother said she never knew who her father was), and he adopted her only to run experiments on her and install computer chips in her brain. She was the most advanced piece of "weaponry" in the building, but unlike others, she had a conscience making her the least likely to attack you without "parental motivation."

"It was a mistake; sumimasen, Kurotsuchi-san. It shall never happen again."

"I can tell you that much. I wonder if you're division leader is giving you the proper punishment...perhaps I should give the proper punishment you deser_—_"

"That will do, Kurotsuchi. Last I checked, Inoue isn't in your division. I'll look over her until Unohana Retsu-san joins us. Now, take a walk." the tall leader of the eleventh division said, folding his arms. A petite girl with pink hair and pink cheeks peeked her head over his shoulder.

"Konbanwa, Big Booby!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Nii-sama...arigatou. Arigatou gozaimasu." Rukia said, wrapped up in a blanket as the medical examiner checked her pupil dilation.

He nodded and looked away.

Her brother; adoptive brother actually, but she still thought of him as her true brother. He was generous and kind, but Rukia felt awkward around him just because he was so...quiet and sometimes a little cold and frigid toward her. But nonetheless, he saved her.

"Renji, are you all right?" she asked as the examiner ran his finger in front of her eyes.

"Yeah...'course I am. It's just a sprain and a concussion. I've been through worse." he replied, grinning as he turned on "his" PSP.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The events flashed across Ichigo's eyes. He had been dominating against Renji until Rukia interfered. Then it was himself against Rukia and Renji as Orihime made a mad dash out of there. He thought he would have had plenty of time to get out. Mistake number one.

Mistake number two? Underestimating Rukia. Sure; she was what, not even five feet tall and a skinny girl? But hell, she had training. He began to get so scared when she grabbed a letter opener for a weapon.

Mistake number three? Letting Orihime go. She went and fetched Rukia's brother and then it was all over considering the guy came up from behind and just took him smack out. One minute he's about to take Renji down and then ten seconds later he's kissing carpet and feeling like a complete idiot.

"Ichigo? Ano...I think it's time I explain what's going to happen." a familiar voice called out from behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Unohana Retsu-san, I formally resign."

"Nani? Why?"

Orihime blinked her eyes and kept them closed to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks in steady streams. "I feel that my time served here has been too long and there are things back home I'd like to handle. My brother's...ano...anniversary is near and I'd like to make preparations to visit his grave as well as visit a friend. I'm also thinking of going back to college. I worked here just to get money for college and perhaps get acquainted with possible jobs, you know?"

Her division leader nodded her head and closed her eyes, folding her hands on the desk and nodded solemnly again. "I understand, Inoue-san. But do remember that you are always welcome in my division. It will be hard for me to find someone as kind and hard working as you are."

Orihime handed her the paper. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Unohana-san. I truly appreciate all you've done for me and your hospitality has been more than generous."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you understand the terms of these agreements?"

"Yeah."

"Sign here and initial here."

"Rukia?"

"Hm?"

"You still think I'm a criminal?"

"I...I don't know."

"If I told you the truth, would you believe me?"

"Ichigo, you broke out of here, threatened Inoue, attacked Renji and me; do you think even if you didn't do anything the allegations have charged you with, you'll be able to get out of here without even a post-it note on your record?"

"But would you believe me?"

"Sign the papers, Ichigo."

He took the pen and his hand shook a little bit, then touched the paper with the ink pen and scribbled a messy signature and initialed as such. Rukia collected the papers and hastily shoved them back in a manila folder, then nodded her head to Ichigo and walked to the door, typing in the number code to get out. She opened the door and began to walk out, then realized she left one of the papers on the ground. She walked over to the table and put her hand on the table, then bent down the grab the paper. When she looked up, she felt something grab her wrist as she turned to leave. Rukia felt her body shake with anxiety. "Let go of me..." Rukia had intended this to sound like an order, firm and clear and decisive, but it came out as a request, soft and scared and unsure. Rukia didn't know the sensation that was occurring as he touched her. And frankly, she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"I have a proposition for you, Rukia. Will you listen?"

* * *

_**Atagoki:** Ah...I seriously wanted to write more, but I restrained myself in attempt to save it for another day. ;) Anyway...hope you liked the chapter...and here's a sneak peak of the next chapter:_

_"Ichigo, you swear to me this is the truth? This is all you have done?" _

_"I do."_

_"Then this changes everything."_

_Squee! I'm so excited to write it and I hope you'll review. ;) The plot is about to take a serious twist here...probably chapter after next...and I will warn you...the next chapter may be short...but I think it'll definitely be worth it... XD  
_


	6. Chapter 5

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_So I just started watching that new anime, Romeo x Juliet...it's amazing. And Juliet's character is made of win. xD I also finished Blood+...and the people on YouTube were driving me nuttier than an acorn with their "zomgz...is Haji leh daed?" Tch. Anyway...enough of my babble. Thanks to all the reviews and I do hope that this chapter is made of win._

_**Warnings:** Language, as always and one sexual reference.  
_

_**Disclaimer: **If life was fair, I'd be a millionaire...and I'd own Bleach too. _

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

_She takes a little time in making up her mind. __— Garbage  
_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Proposition?" she repeated, letting the word ring in her head. She said it again. Rukia liked the sound of the word, but also feared it. "How do you mean_—_"

She was interrupted by her pager buzzing against her hip and she jumped in the air and squealed in shock, then bit her lip, taking back her wrist from Ichigo. She looked like a fool. Oh, well. What's done is done. Rukia began to search her bag for the pager, and found herself lost in the surplus of gadgets. She began dumping them on the table and talking to herself, not realizing Ichigo could hear her every word.

"iPod...cellphone...PDA...other PDA...that PSP Renji confiscated...Rangiku-san's iPod...a Gameboy SP that Renji confiscated...damn it, where the hell is it?" At this point, she dumped out the rest and picking up items, looking at them, then dropping them on the table.

"Ahem...Rukia...?"

"Urusse. Not right now!" Rukia barked at Ichigo.

"Demo...I have your pager."

"Nani?" she looked up and saw him waving the pager back and forth.

"Ano...give me that!" she snatched it greedily and looked at for a minute, then flipped it right-side-up. "Nani...?"

Rukia made her way to the door, slamming it behind her as Ichigo called after her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kurosaki-kun," a voice called over an intercom in the interrogation room. Ichigo looked at the tinted mirror and placed his hand on it after he rose and walked to it.

"Inoue?"

"Hai...it's good to hear your voice. I just thought I would let you know that I'm leaving here." Orihime took her own hand and placed it where his was, matching fingers up and sighing. His was much bigger than hers, not that she cared about that.

"Nanze? Why?"

"I made a mistake and I feel that it would be better if I went back to school in Tokyo. I hope you don't mind."

"I-I'm confused. What happened earlier wasn't your fault, you know."

"It's all right. I promise. But, could you be nice to Kuchiki-san while you're still here? She's a good person. And it was nice meeting you, Kurosaki-kun. Maybe in another life we can meet under different circumstances." she forced a giggle, and dropped her hand and turned off the intercom system before the laugh became overtaken by her choked sobs.

Hell, she didn't know why she was crying. Maybe it was because she felt responsible for what was going to happen to him. Maybe she felt bad because she resigned and she didn't want to. Maybe she was sad because she wouldn't see her friends from here again. All she knew is that she was really sad.

Confirming that, Orihime took one last look at the glass, where Ichigo stood, with a confused look on his face, then opened the door and permitted the guard to escort herself out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, Renji, what was so goddamn important you took me out of my area while I was getting Kurosaki to sign these papers that released Inoue of all responsibility?"

Renji turned down the music on his stereo and then grinned at Rukia. "It doesn't matter anymore. Kurosaki's getting transferred out of here."

"WHAT?!" Rukia shouted. To add emphasis, she slammed the stack of papers on the ground and used her tiny fist to make a loud noise when she banged it on the front of his desk. "He's getting transferred?! Why the fuck didn't you tell me?!"

"Sheesh...calm your ass down. I thought you'd be happy."

"There you go thinking again, Renji. I've been working on this for almost three weeks and you pull me off the case without telling me? I was this close," she took her forefinger and thumb and placed a little gap between them, "to getting him to confess, you dumbfuck." Rukia screamed again and stormed out of the office screaming and hissing and shouting, then came back in. "Why did no one tell me?"

Renji shrugged. "I don't know. I figured that you didn't care and I'd tell you now that he's getting transferred in two hours."

"Two hours? TWO?!"

Renji nodded. Rukia frowned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her and walking back to the interrogation cell, feeling so angry she was left out the loop. Rukia paused in front of the door; to be exact, this had been happening a lot lately. She was being assigned jobs she didn't know anything about, Ichigo had escaped and no one told her until way later, and now he was being transferred and she had received no notice of it. And it wasn't just recently. To be precise, a few weeks before she started working on Ichigo, this had been occurring. Something odd was going on. Rukia inhaled a breath then opened the door.

"Ichigo, we need to talk and quickly. What's your proposition?"

"Look, I'll tell you everything you want to know if you'll just get me the fuck out of here."

"I'll try my best."

"I think someone set me up." Ichigo said, then he looked at Rukia. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she had a dumbfounded look on her face that seemed to ask a series of questions. "Let me explain; about four weeks ago, I get an email from this guy. Back in the United States, I did some stuff I probably shouldn't have done but whatever. The next thing you know, I'm hacking into your systems because some guy wants me to install an upgrade to security cameras, but he doesn't want no one to know. Suspicious, I know. But the job paid good and he had a few authorized signatures from some 'board members,'" he added emphasis by using air quotes, then continued, "so I figured whatever and I installed it. Then my goddamn computer went berserk and shut down. It was a virus. A virus. So I figured maybe something from my computer fucked it up and I tried to fix it as quick as I could by accessing files and things and find it, then terminate it and I guess I accessed some wrong files and here we are."

Rukia chewed on her lip in thought. "Ichigo, do you swear to me this is all you have done?"

"I do."

"Then this changes everything."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rukia didn't know what was going on. She felt like a vigilante; a rule breaker; a lawbreaker; a fool. Her pulse was quick, her breath became exasperated quickly and she felt sweat all over her body, even though she was cold prior to entering this area. Was she sure? Not really. Was she going to feel guilty? Most likely. Would she regret it? Definitely. Was she going to stop or turn back? Hell no. Her decision was made. And it was time to show it off. Rukia clicked the "execute" button on the computer.

A cool female voice replied, "Sequence initiated."

* * *

_**Atagoki: **Ew...I hated this chapter. It was so horrible, IMHO. xD Hopefully, it'll get better. BAH. That's a guarantee. I will definitely be doing a much better job next chapter. You have my word on that, loves. ;)  
_

_Now, I can almost guarantee we're all wondering "What was Rukia doing at the end?" Tch. I'm saving that for the next chapter. It will mostly be centered around Rukia and what she's doing and why, then the point of view will slightly change. It's mostly been Rukia centered, but soon it will switch to Ichigo centered for a bit. I hope I haven't lost y'all, so read and review._

_-Dawn__  
_


	7. Chapter 6

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Thank you for all your sweet reviews everyone, I truly appreciate it. _

_**Warning:** None for this one aside from minor language._

**_Disclaimer: _**_See chapter 5.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

_Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose__. — _ _The Wonder Years_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rukia chewed on her lower lip as she stabbed her salad with her fork, then twirled it upside down and looked at Rangiku. "Rangiku-san, what do you think about Kurosaki escaping?"

"Mhpm!" her friend groaned as she choked on the piece of food she was chewing. She swallowed her bite, then washed it down with her drink. "Excuse me? I mean...I think it's pretty stupid how the security system was down, but he obviously did some planning."

"I suppose that's true. The security system has been going down a lot, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. And the thing is, I've run the program millions of times but I can never find what's wrong or debug it. It's like there's something going on internally. I think someone put a virus and messed it up or someone has been downloading something ridiculous like porn and screwing up the system."

"Yeah."

"Rukia-chan? Are you all right?" Rangiku asked, touching her friend on the hand.

Rukia looked up and pulled her hand back. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just...disappointed."

"It's understandable. But remember, it's not your fault."

Rukia resisted the urge to snort.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The thoughts of what happened that night encircled Rukia's mind. It was like a poison, intoxicating her every being and causing her to become it's hypnotic slave. Every waking moment was spent on her thinking about her actions, about her feelings, about what she wished she had said.

_"Ichigo, come on! We don't have much time left!" Rukia called to him, running faster and down the hallway._

_"You're crazy! Why are you doing this?"_

_"Stop asking questions and follow me!" _

_"All right."_

_Perspiration continued to build up on Rukia's forehead. She felt uncomfortable and at one point, she felt her heart beating so fast she was scared she would pass out. Her breath became heavy, but she neared the door and pushed it open, then inhaled the fresh air. "We're here." Rukia managed to get out, then let the fresh air force it's way into her lungs and she breathed steadily. _

_"Here?"_

_"Here. Now...take this..." Rukia said, lifting her arm up with a piece of parchment. "It's directions...to a man...named Urahara Kisuke. He'll...help you escape...this area and make...sure your family remains...safe. Also...ask him to check on Inoue...Orihime. Then tell him I said we're...even." she continued, pausing in between her phrases to pant and take a breath. _

_"Are you all right?"_

_"I'm fine. Just promise me you'll destroy all your evidence and computers and the instructions I gave you and never under any circumstance are you to contact me ever again. And if I may ask you a favor...please, can you make sure Inoue stays safe. They may suspect her of helping you and I don't want her to undergo what you did. She deserves better."_

_"And I didn't?"_

_Rukia forced a smile, then pulled her hands off her waist and lifted her eyes from the ground to his eyes. "Ha ha, funny, Ichigo. Now go...and if it's any consolation, you were right about this place. My loyalties were misplaced and I obviously put too much faith into something. I was blind to see the changes of the ways of this place Thank you for opening my eyes."_

_"No. Thank you, Rukia." _

Rukia felt her eyes get heavy with tears. She didn't mean some of what she said. Truthfully, she wanted him to come back for her. To rescue her. To save her from her work. She wanted to be as far away from here as possible. But she didn't deserve his rescue or anything like that. "I'm such an idiot." she hissed at herself, placing her elbows on her desk and burying her face in her hands. "Please, Ichigo, forgive me. I don't know why I did it...I just did because...I don't know. I don't know what this feeling is. And it scares the hell out of me. I want it to stay and go away at the same time."

Her office door knocked and Rukia looked up, then wiped away her tears and tried to compose herself. She opened the door. "Yes?"

"Kuchiki Rukia." Renji. But he never used her full name. And her brother was behind her. Rukia shivered slightly. "You are hereby under arrest under suspicion of aiding and abetting, hacking into classified files, and..." Renji paused, which in turn, made her shiver more.

"Treason." her brother finished.

* * *

_**Atagoki:** OMG. LOL. Weren't expecting that, were ya? Or maybe you were. LOL. Anyway, short, I know, but this is the main point of the rising action. There's more to come, I can assure you. And I actually like this chapter. _

_So...read and review. And for those of you who are curious about updates in my writing career, do check out my profile. If you don't want to, I will let you know that I plan on writing a new IchiRuki story, Fairytales Are Fiction. ;)_


	8. Chapter 7:

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_All the beautiful reviews...it makes me cry. XD Anyway...on with the show?_

_**Warning: **Not much in this one._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I dreamed a dream that I owned Bleach, then I woke up._

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

_And Urahara is attacking Ichigo with his weird gadgets and stuff. __—_ _Dawn Shard_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yeah, Yuzu...I know, I'm sorry I made you and Dad worry and cause Karin to get bitchy. All right, I've said it ninety times. Can you just ease off my back? Look, I've got to talk to this guy and I'll be home in a few minutes. He doesn't live far from the clinic. All right? Yes. Fine! I'll do clinic duty whenever you need me to, if you could just back off. Okay...love you too. Bye." Ichigo clicked the "end" button on his cellphone and then ran a hand through his spiky hair and looked up. "Urahara Shoten?" he snorted, then walked forward to see quite the spectacle.

"Jinta, Urahara-san asked that we please clean this area. If you could just please help_—_"

"Shut up! Can't ya see I'm practicin' for baseball?"

"But_—_"

"Shut up!" the red haired boy screamed, lifting his broom to bother the girl, to which Ichigo grabbed and jerked from his hands.

"Is there an Urahara Kisuke here?"

"What of it?" the fiery-haired boy snapped, attempting to get his broom back.

Ichigo frowned. "I need to talk to him."

"Follow me," the girl with black hair instructed, opening the door and calling out for the owner.

"Ooh, a new customer! What can I do for you?" a man with blond hair grinned, flapping out his fan and hiding his face behind it and a hat, pulling the brim down.

"Kuchiki Rukia sent me to you. She said I needed to talk to you."

The blond man narrowed his eyes behind the shadow of his hair and hat and closed his fan, walking to the back and motioning for Ichigo to follow. Ichigo reluctantly complied.

"Kuchiki Rukia, you say? I suppose she's here to even the score. Did she give you something to give me?"

"No...just paper for me to find_—_hey! What are you doing?"

Urahara placed his fan down and snatched the paper from Ichigo's hands and began to examine it. "Ururu, get me the black light."

Ururu nodded and dashed into the back room, then reappeared with a black light in hand and gave it to Urahara, who was now sitting. He hummed as he took the paper from the table where he laid it temporarily and then clicked the light on and hovered it over the paper. It zoned in on some characters glowing green under the light. "Kuchiki-san is much smarter than you think, Kurosaki. Now, she's instructed me to make sure you don't do anything like come back for her, make sure Inoue Orihime is all right, and that I'm to keep an eye on you. And to do so, I'm sending you with this new invention I happened to get my hands on from Kuchiki-san and her connections in the technology department. I call it the Kurosaki Observing Network, also known as Kon. Of course, the feeds come to me and Kon has a mind of his own. Let's turn the little tyke on." Urahara said gleefully, motioning to Jinta, who typed something on a computer and flipped a few switches on.

The small, inanimate plushie (if that was even what it was) came to life and started moving around, then looked up. "Hi, master!"

Ichigo bent down and poked it. "This is weird. Why again am I taking this?"

"Hey, that hurts!" the plushie swatted at his hand and Ichigo took his hand back.

"Sheesh, I thought it was just a transmitter or whatever."

"I am called artificial intelligence, I'll have you know!"

"Told ya he has a mind of his own, Kurosaki. I'd explain his mechanics, but it'd go over your head." Urahara grinned like a little school boy. "So, go on, take him, he's yours. He's quite valuable, so try and take good care of him. Also, I'm giving you instructions to not attract attention to yourself. Be a good boy and stay incognito for a while. We're done here for now. I'll contact when I want to talk to you again. Bye-bye, Kurosaki-san!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime cried, wrapping her arms around her friend with the smaller frame.

"Inoue-san, good to see you! So what brings you to my apartment?" her dark, spiky haired friend asked, grinning and scratching her casted arm.

"We just haven't seen each other in so long...I wanted to say hi! And what happened to your arm?"

"Oh...you know. I was just practicing and I sorta bruised it, then I went to a martial arts tournament and well...oops."

Orihime grinned from ear to ear. "Tatsuki-chan, you must be more careful. So who did you rescue?"

"Nobody. I was just practicing my martial arts and then some jerk made his little comments at the summer camp. He was shooting his little bow and I would have liked to choke his little neck with that, ahem, sorry. Anyway, he's just responding because I asked why he was doing archery. Apparently the guy gets picked on a lot. Then the guy had the guts to harass me about my grades. My grades! All right, I'm no genius or whatever, but I'm decent. And these are advanced classes here. Advanced! Eighty-four percent is not bad...it's no ninety-seven percent like he got, but I did hella good, I should say. So...seriously. What about your job, Inoue-san?"

Orihime smiled, spacing off and then looked back at Tatsuki. "Hm?"

"Your job?"

"Oh...I quit."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I figured it was time for me to go back to school. I've always wanted to go into the food industry or something. Do you think I'd be good?"

Tatsuki made a weird face, then stepped back and invited Orihime in. "Inoue-san, did I ever tell you that custard creme and wasabi with asparagus and cherry syrup is not good? In fact, that's just plain weird."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm bored." Kon said irately.

"You're a robot, go drink oil or shut yourself off. Wait...don't you have like...computers for eyes? Look for porn on the internet, just shut up."

"I am artificial intelligence and no, I cannot look up porn with my 'computer eyes'!" Kon replied, then looked away. "Urahara put parental blocks..."

"Whatever." Ichigo replied, then flipped the channel on his television in his room.

The door to his room opened and he threw a pillow in the general direction. "I told you to knock!"

"But Ichi-nii, I came to bring you dinner!" the blonde in a pink dress pouted.

"Fine, Yuzu...thanks. Can you go now?"

"But_—_"

"Yuzu, I'll take you and Karin out for breakfast tomorrow then. All right?"

His sister grinned and then handed him the plate. "Somewhere fancy, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." he replied, closing the door behind her and flopping onto the bed after resting the platter of food on the desk.

Ichigo then allowed himself to be attacked by a swarm of questions, and much to his dismay and pleasure, they were all Rukia centered. _Why did she do it? How did she do it? What even made her listen to me? Why did she believe me? A normal person would have thought I was lying my ass off...then again, Rukia isn't normal. I wonder how she is or if she's in trouble. I hope she's not. God, if she is...it would be my fault. And I would...I would need to do something. _

"Stop daydreaming, Ichigo. That dazed look with your drooling makes you look like a zombie and Urahara might call the hospital."

"You idiot, I live in a medical clinic! Not to mention, I was _not_ drooling."

"You were. I saw it."

"What you saw was probably some water leaking on your metal chip...'eyes.'" Ichigo retorted, using air quotes._  
_

His argument was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door. "Yuzu, I already told you...oh. Inoue? Did Yuzu let you in? But wait. Why are you_—_how did you?"

"Eh, Kurosaki-kun, is someone here? I heard you and a voice yelling..." she commented, pulling the top of her jacket to close around her throat awkwardly.

"Um. Don't ask. so...why are you here again?"

"Oh," her facial expression and tone changed as she let go of her jacket and rubbed her face with her hands, "Kurosaki-kun, you must help! Kuchiki-san, she's been...she's been tried and convicted of treason! She's sentenced to a private and silenced death sentence! Hardly anyone knows!"

"What? But wait. How do you know?" Ichigo repeated in disbelief, then in a worried tone.

"My friend...Arisawa Tatsuki-chan. Apparently, she went to a study group and I tagged along because I wanted to make new acquaintances and things and I was curious and there was a guy there...he had glasses and a very superficial haircut, not that it wasn't good, it's just that it is very different. But anyway, he recognized me and asked if I had worked somewhere with malfunctioning technology as part of an internship with this guy and I said yes and everything and apparently, two days ago, he overheard some people saying that a Kuchiki Rukia was to receive the death penalty for high crimes that not even I understand and he was wondering if I knew anything and I told him I didn't so then I got this call from this man Urahara Kisuke-san and I asked him where to find you, then he told me and I came to find you."

Orihime was going a mile a minute and Ichigo's head began to spin. He also felt beads of sweat on his forehead, then he snapped out of it and placed his hands on Orihime's shoulders and shook her gently. "Inoue, you must tell me everything!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Rukia, can I just ask why?"

"You already have. And I will tell you once more; because he's innocent and this place has warped."

"You know who's warped? You have!"

Rukia bit her lip and held her tears back, her back facing away from him in the chair. "We all change, Renji. Each of us."

* * *

_**Atagoki: **A LONGER CHAPTER! YAY. xD I loved writing this. I'm not even joking. I had a blast. This was so much fun to write. And I think my writing has improved. So...please review. _

_Also, a note, I planned on replacing this chapter with one with a few edits, but lo and behold, I had a glitch. The only way to make the edits was to delete the chapter, then post it again. How annoying. I really wanted these edits though because I was going nuts without them, so sorry if I...irritate anyone._

_And remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I update. _


	9. Chapter 8

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Thanks to everyone for bearing with me. I was kinda disappointed about the amount of reviews I got, but I won't let that discourage me. I must remain leh optimistic! xD Also, I just posted my new fic, Fairytales Are Fiction, and it's going to be hilarious and rife with pairings, be it crack or not. Doesn't matter. It's going to mainly be IchiRuki and any other pairings added will be based on the fandom's opinion and requests. ;) So...enjoy._

_**Warnings: **Language.  
_

_**Disclaimer: **LOL if you think I own Bleach.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

_'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown _ —_ Frou Frou_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The prisoner refuses to eat or drink. She's being stubborn." A young man complained.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And to think she was one of us. She totally compromised us. God only knows what she gave that young schmuck. Lord. He's probably planning an attack as we speak. We could all be dead in a matter of minutes!" A dramatic voice cried from the trio of the workers.

"Oh, for God's sake; shut the hell up!" Renji spat at the staff in the area. "You're not going to die in a matter of minutes so get your panties out of a twist and go get me some restraining straps so I can force feed her."

"I don't need force feeding, _Abarai-san_." Rukia spat.

He glared daggers at her cell where she sat, making faces at him. "You shut up."

"No!" her face suddenly changed. "Renji...am I really going to die?"

He scratched his head at a loss for words. As he opened his mouth, her own voice interrupted.

"As I thought."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell do you mean I can't go 'cavorting about?' I need to save Rukia and I need to save her now! She's going to die if I don't—"

"And what of yourself? You think you'll be just fine and dandy running about in a place you don't know jack about?" Jinta snapped back.

"Shut up, kid."

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"All right, all right! That's enough. Let's just stop this nonsense. Kurosaki, you don't know enough about this place to go by yourself without any experience. A lot of the people who work here are experts in their respective fields. So let me break it down for you. Exactly how are you going to get out of there?"

"I'll run."

The blond man nodded, pulling the brim of his hat down and hid behind his fan to stifle a laugh. "You'll run?"

Ichigo nodded.

Urahara burst out laughing and slapped his knee with his now closed fan. "You're a laughing riot, Kurosaki. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"I'm serious!"

"Well you might want to rethink that considering she's a capital offender. Like they're going to let you just waltz out with her. Look. I can help you."

Ichigo folded his arms and eyed the shopkeeper. "And why would you do that?"

"Because I can."

"That's not satisfying enough."

Urahara composed himself and flapped out his fan. "Tough. As far as I'm concerned, you need to be more aware of defense too."

"Defense?"

"Yeah. You ought to plan on fighting when it comes to getting in and getting her out."

Ichigo scratched his head. "Erm...I wasn't planning on it to be honest."

Urahara laughed again. "Kurosaki, you never fail to rush into something headfirst. So, let's see...let's do ten days."

"Ten days? Why ten? And what do you mean by that?"

"Because nine isn't enough and eleven is too risky of Rukia's life. So let's get started. What are your skills?"

"Eh...computers?"

Jinta rolled his eyes and leaned against a paper wall. "God, this is going to take forever."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Orihime-san, you've barely touched your dinner. Are you all right?" Tatsuki asked, placing her chopsticks down and dabbing her mouth with the napkin.

"I'm worried about Ku—well...I'm just tired. Yes." Orihime smiled reassuringly at her friend.

"I gather your smile is supposed to be reassuring, but unfortunately, I'm not assured. Why don't you tell me the problem?"

"It's not important."

"If it has you this worked up, I'm sure it is. Just tell me, all right?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and repeat. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and repeat." Urahara chanted, reading his book. "Have you finished fencing yet?"

"Fencing? I'm poking a sack of flour with a fucking broom handle!"

"Oh? So you're ready for something more advanced?" Urahara asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes!" Ichigo snapped back.

The shopkeeper set his book down and grabbed his cane, stroking the wooden finish on it then smiled and stood up, and lurched forward in a surprising frenzy. His cane came whizzing by Ichigo's head and Ichigo instinctively ducked. Urahara used the handle of his cane to latch onto Ichigo's collar and pulled him forward, sending him sprawling forward on the ground. He used a sandaled foot to step on Ichigo's black and leaned down, grinning. "Obviously, you're not. Continue. And perhaps when you break the sack with one attack, I'll move you onto something else."

"But the sack is impossible to break!"

"No it's not. Just remind yourself why you're fighting. Perhaps that's inspiration enough?" Urahara reminded, whistling as he walked away.

Ichigo rolled over and grabbed the broom stick lying on the ground, and looked to see an exact-o knife of the desk. He could rip this sucker open and move on. But his conscious bothered him. It whispered that cheating would only hurt him so much more later on. And so he gripped the broom stick tighter and looked at it. It wasn't sharp. Perhaps that would help? Or not. Probably not. Urahara would have probably hinted at that...right?

He looked at the bag. It had a tacky bright yellow smiley face on it. It made him want to blow it up just staring at it. And then he suddenly thought of Rukia's smile. The one she had when she talked to Orihime. But that was a fake smile. A kind one you exchanged with friends. But there was one she gave him once. Probably when she heard him make a joke about Renji's hair. She laughed and fell on the ground and grinned. Then she regained composure. A grin tugged at the corners of her lips, but she seemed to resist it strongly.

Ichigo shook his head and whacked the flour. A sifting sound was heard and a puff of white powder slowly sifted down. And then the day he escaped, it was a frown buried underneath a smile. The last time he ever saw her, she was crying. Fucking crying. It was his goddamn fault. It was unfair. Rukia deserved better. So much better. But that fuck Renji did this to her. She didn't know, but he heard the two yelling their brains out at each other outside his holding area over her close association. Renji pushed her to this extreme. And that brother of hers. That man who freaking attacked him from behind. The man that seemed to make Rukia feel as cold as ice. No way was he letting these fucks take her away. Especially from him.

"I'm not letting you die, Rukia!" He shouted to himself, then whacked the sack of flour and a huge puff of powder came out. As it settled, he saw he had only made a tiny hole towards the middle. Ichigo sighed.

"Follow me, Kurosaki. I think you're ready for lesson one."

* * *

_**Atagoki: **Hm. It was a so-so chapter IMO. xD Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Hopefully everyone likes this one. There's lots more to come and some more characters to get introduced. Enjoy and while you're reading this, just click that small "Go" button and leave me a lovely review. A small one or a short one, it doesn't matter. Thanks!_


	10. Chapter 9

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Hey, bitches! As of Thursday at 11:30 AM, I am officially out of school. That means, when I'm not doing chores, I'm a full time writer...like hell I am. I sometimes get writers blocks...so ew. XP Anyway, I'm here to offer the newest update to this story. Enjoy. I also got some very motivating constructive criticism. I look at my story and it has gotten stale (as someone who reviewed mentioned, and I'd like them to know I appreciate that tons), so I'm going to try and remix it without making it seem...stupid, for lack of a better term. Stay with me, amores. I hope to make it better. XD  
_

_**Warnings: **Minor language and sexual references._

_**Disclaimer: **Dun own Bleach. I just write.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

_ Kanashimi no naka ni yuuki ga aru__ — Takahashi Hitomi (Aozora no NAMIDA)_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's hard, you know," A meek voice said from behind, "The thought of losing someone, I mean..."

"Inoue?"

"Hi, Kurosaki-kun."

He nodded and looked at the space beside him on the ground. She took that as an invitation to sit down, and did so. She pulled the long part of her skirt down and around her legs as a sense of modesty. "Kurosaki-kun, would you mind if I told you something about Kuchiki-san? A story, I mean."

"No. Please go ahead."

"A long time ago, when I first met her when I got my job, she was one of the few people who was nice to me. At first, I was just a lame fourth division new person. And then I became the object of a lot of dirty sex jokes and I was hit on a lot. Finally, I met Kuchiki-san and she saved my life. A man laid his hands on me," She swallowed hard from the painful memory, "And I was unable to stop him. Kuchiki-san came down the corridor and she startled him enough for me to get away from his reach. And then, she looked at me. She knew my name and said 'Inoue, run far from here and get my brother Kuchiki Byakuya-sama. Tell him of what has happened here and that I will be bringing this perpetrator to his offices. Go now.' At first, I was worried that she would get hurt. And then, I saw her...she really took him down. And I ran. I knew she would be able to protect herself. When I returned, I saw her," Inoue paused to take a breath, "She really roughed him up. Kuchiki-san put her life on the line to save mine, and now I'm going to repay that favor. Not only that, but she's my friend, Kurosaki-kun."

Silence followed and endured. "Inoue, you shouldn't go. I don't want you to get hurt."

When he looked to see her, she was already gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The dark-cloaked figure approached from behind and made its presence notified. Urahara turned around. "Ah, Yoruichi. Long time no see."

"Always a pleasure, Kisuke." The deep voice replied. "I see we've got quite a few young bucks trying to help us here."

"No shit."

The voice chuckled. "Kids today...how many are going?"

"Just Kurosaki and Inoue as far as I know...although I've heard rumors about a member of the Quincy going."

"The Quincy? What business does he have in these affairs? The Shinigami squad of Seireitei wiped out that group."

"Just what I heard."

"Any other kiddies I have to look out for?"

"Not sure."

"You know, the hardest thing will be to get these kids to channel their fear into courage," Yoruichi added, then paused and continued, "Out of the two, I'm more concerned about Kurosaki."

"You're concerning aura isn't misplaced. I'm worried about his attitude right now, myself. Ichigo seems to be very scared at the thought of losing her."

The voice's owner nodded, then sighed. "Fine. I'll make sure Inoue is prepared and try and clear up these rumors about the Quincy. The more fact and less fiction we have, the better we'll be off."

Urahara nodded in agreement. "I ought to get back to work_—_" He began, then turned around to see the figure was gone. "I hate when Yoruichi does that..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Rukia, why aren't you cooperating?"

"I'm cooperating just fine, Renji! You're just being a block-head about this!" She hissed, then lowered her voice and beckoned for him to lean towards her. "Listen to me! This place isn't what it used to be...it's warped."

"Warped? Are you sure it's not just you who's warped? You fucking let a prisoner go!"

"He hadn't done anything!"

"Besides sleep with you, I'm sure!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Renji, you fool! Your ignorance is disgraceful! And I did not have sex with Kurosaki Ichigo!" She screamed at him.

"Look, if you think anything is 'wrong' or 'warped' with this place or any other conspiratorial ideas and thoughts, why don't you just talk to Hitsugaya Toushiro-san? He's got more conspiracy theories than a bad horror film!"

Rukia opened her mouth, then closed it and looked away from Renji.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Inoue Orihime: weight is forty-five kilograms, height is 157 centimeters, age twenty-one." A voice called out to her. She turned around and shivered, then backed towards a street lamp.

"There's no need to be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Then what do you want?" She called out bravely...or as much as her frail voice would allow her.

"I'm here to help you."

"Help...help...help me?"

"Yes." The figure approached her. It's darkly cloaked structure came very close to her, it's voice deep and masculine. "My name is Shihouin Yoruichi. And I guess I lied when I said I was here to help you. More so, I'm here to help Kurosaki Ichigo."

Orihime looked up from the ground.

"Ah...I've piqued your curiosity. What do you know about this Ishida Uryu?"

"Hm? Ishida-kun? Why?"

"It could save Kurosaki's life, you know..."

"Nothing. He's at the top of his class...founded the arts and crafts club. That's all."

"Has he mentioned anything about being a Quincy?"

"Hm? A Quincy? What is that?"

"Oh? That's very interesting, Inoue...very. Thank you for your help. And you may want to learn to defend yourself before going back to Seireitei." Yoruichi stated.

Orihime looked at the ground in shame. Had she compromised someone innocent? More specifically, was this Yoruichi telling the truth, or lying to her so she could give away information on Ishida? She knew him slightly, as when she began attending school again, she joined the arts and crafts club. He was...nice. And intelligent. Top in all his classes. But Tatsuki hated him. Thankfully, she kept her lips shut about Tatsuki. It would have been horrible for her to get her own best friend into a situation she wouldn't understand. When she looked up to call out to the figure only a brief few seconds later, Yoruichi was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yoruichi crouched down besides Urahara, resting on knees. "Hm...so let's see who's taking place in this little drama." The shadowed figure state nonchalantly.

"Well, let's make two teams. The Hollows and the Pluses." The blond suggested.

"That's a stupid idea, Kisuke. Shinigami and Civilians."

"That's an even worse idea. Hm..."

"Hm..."

"I've got it!" Both chorused together. "The People in Seireitei and the People in Karakura!"

Little did they know, that idea was the worst and most foul-stenching of all.

"All right, so we've got Kurosaki as the ring leader of the 'People in Karakura'. And Inoue will be backing him up...if she even can with her minor healing abilities. Erm...anyone else?"

"What about the leads on that Quincy, Yoruichi?" Urahara replied.

"Dud so far. No reason to help or hinder the mission. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even know he was of Quincy descent."

"Remind me again what a Quincy is..." He replied, making a quickly jotted down list of the names involved and a rough map of the area.

"Just a bunch of jerk offs medically enhanced by a series of injections through an experiment in Seireitei. I thought you would know that, though..."

"Oh, I do. I just like hearing you say it in that sexy voice."

Yoruichi made a face, although it was shaded by the dark cloak and sneered, "You're disgustingly hopeless."

"Anyone else from Karakura?"

"Aside from me, I doubt it. I've looked up reports on the activities of Kuchiki Rukia and all I've seen is that she saved some man's life about four months ago."

"Oh?" Urahara looked at his companion and tapped his finger on his chin. "How so?"

"Bank robbery. She was there making a deposit. The guy, Sado Yasutora, more commonly known as Chad, was held at gunpoint by the robber and was threatened to be killed. Rukia got in there and did her thing. He got a small scar, but he survived. I was, however, interested to hear that he's got close ties to the Kurosaki family, and more importantly, the sole son of Kurosaki Isshin_—_" Yoruichi stated with high interest.

"_—_Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Bingo."

"And so the plot thickens..." Urahara added, marking a huge and sloppily drawn red X over the blueprints of Seireitei_—_particularly, a room marked 'Sokyoku.'

* * *

_**Atagoki: **I think Urahara about summed it up. All right, so not much Ichigo OR Rukia, but i wanted to mix this story up a tad as it was beginning to bore even me. (And that's just sad. XD) Anyway, I promise Rukia and Ichigo will be making their debuted returns...as soon as I figure them into this. Ishida and Chad are still a mystery to me so far, but at least I worked Chad into this somehow. Ishida is still a mystery. XP_

_ Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone for being so patient with this story. It does follow the manga a bit, but from this point on, I'm mixing the entire thing up for a new and totally redone idea. Stay with me and have faith. I was totally brain dead when I wrote the last chapter, but that was because of exams and projects. As of now, I'll be writing whatever ideas or inspirations that pop into my head, so feel free to comment and give me some ideas. I may even work it in there. _

_As for the quote, it's from one of my most favorite songs ever and it means 'because within sadness, there is courage.' Ho hum. _

_So while you're still here reading this, move your little mouse over to that "Go" button and click it. Leave me a comment. Constructively criticize me. Dote on me. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'm patiently waiting for your honest (and if it's brutal, I don't mind) opinion of the story. Thanks a bunches._


	11. Chapter 10

**The Chemical Reaction**

**_Atagoki: _**_Mk...here we go. Time for a turning point. Hope you enjoy. And thanks to everyone for the positive reviews and reinforcements. Sorry for being on hiatus, but that was because of camp. I appreciate everyone for putting up with me. Arigatou.  
_

_**Warnings: **None at present moment._

_**Disclaimer: **...the marvelous ownership of Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. :)_

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

_I still don't have a reason and you don't have the time. __— Maroon 5 (Makes Me Wonder)  
_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me, Kurosaki, how much do you care about Kuchiki-san?" Urahara whispered in his ear from behind. "How far are you willing to go?"

Ichigo paused. How far would he go? A part of the way? Half the way? No. "I would die to save her life. She saved mine and has put her own life in danger's way to save mine."

"Oh, well that's good to hear because most likely, you will die."

Ichigo made a shocked face. "Oh, please, boy. You can't expect me to send you into there and let you think you'll be just fine and dandy. I'm not _that_ cruel." Urahara grinned in amusement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, Inoue," Yoruichi asked, stepping up behind Orihime, "Why are you going back? You can't like Rukia _that_ much. She was your co-worker. I heard a lot of your co-workers weren't kind in Seireitei."

"That's a lie! Kuchiki-san was one of the most kind and respectful people in Seireitei! I'm going to save her because she's my friend!"

"And because you couldn't stand being apart from Ichigo, either." Yoruichi finished. Orihime's cheeks turned crimson. "Whatever. Just come up with a better lie if he asks you why you're going."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Onii-chan! Aren't you excited to be home? You've been gone for almost a week!" Yuzu asked thoughtfully, gripping his hand tightly. Even at age seventeen, Yuzu was as childish as ever. Karin walked steadily beside the two and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms angrily.

"Yuzu, you're seventeen. Act your age." Karin spat.

"That's not very nice Karin!" Yuzu retorted, still clinging onto Ichigo.

"Can I have my hand back now, Yuzu? I need both hands to carry this picnic basket, which, may I remind, you packed." Ichigo asked.

Yuzu sighed and let go reluctantly. "So bitter these days..."

"Oh, my beloved, Yuzu! Don't let Ichigo's bitter attitude get you down! He is only missing the woman in his life! His true love! Come to Daddy! I will never turn you away! I will always be here_—_"

"Oh, my God! Do you ever shut up?" Karin spat, kneeing her father in the stomach. "Just shut up and help Ichi-nii open the gate to the graveyard!"

It was that time of year again. The time where they took the day off to go visit the grave of the late Kurosaki Masaki. Ichigo sighed. It was always peaceful here. Always quiet. Then his father spoke and it was all messed up. He eyed the sky. "What's the weather going to be, Yuzu?"

"Um...I think it's going to be clear and beautiful, but it might rain a little. Although the rain chances are little."

"Good to hear."

Yuzu nodded and smiled, kneeling at the gravestone of her late mother and beginning to pray.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ishida Uryu eyed the bow in his closet suspiciously. A hand reached out and touched his and he jumped a little bit. "Ishida-kun, the bow is not going to come out and attack you. Let's continue studying, ne?"

"Of course, Inoue-san. How silly of me." Ishida replied, pushing back his glasses.

"Ano...Ishida-kun, I wanted to thank you for telling me about what you heard about Kuchiki-san. She is a good friend of mine."

"You don't have to thank me every time we see each other, Inoue-san."

"You're right. It's just so troubling to hear that she's supposed to be...well...you know."

Ishida nodded and shrugged. "Sometimes, bad stuff happens."

"I suppose. Ano...Ishida-kun, I don't get this chemical equation. Can you explain?"

"Certainly. But, Inoue-san, will you answer this for me first?"

"You have to ask the question first though..."

"Right, but ano...you're not going back for this Kuchiki Rukia are you?"

"What do you mean 'going back'?"

"Are you going back to Seireitei to see her or try to help her?"

Orihime looked down at the ground and chewed on her lower lip, then fiddled with her fingers under the table on her lap. "Ano...Ishida-kun, why? Are you worried?"

"Actually, yes. She's a capital offender according to them and they're a government agency. She's getting the death penalty. I just don't want to see you getting mixed up in that sort of affair."

Orihime gave a fake laugh. "Ishida-kun, don't worry. I'll be fine. And is it wrong for me to want to help my friend?"

"No, but it is wrong for you to do something like that if you're going to get yourself in trouble with the law system. Whatever it is you're thinking, just don't do it. All right?"

"Ishida-kun, I appreciate your concern. But Kuchiki-san is my friend and I will help her." Orihime covered her mouth with her right hand. "I've said too much. I beseech that you do not breathe a word of this to anyone, especially Tatsuki-chan. _Please_."

Ishida nodded and sighed. But he couldn't put the thoughts of concern out of his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello?" A deep voice asked.

"This is Sado Yasutora, correct?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"If you want to save the life of a woman who saved your own, come to the coffee shop in the center of Karakura Town tomorrow at eleven AM sharp."

The line clicked. The young man looked at the phone puzzled and then hung it up, still confused.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where are the twins, Dad?" Ichigo asked contemplatively.

"They're asleep by the stairs. Yuzu and Karin stayed up late last night working on projects for school so they wouldn't have to play too much catch up tomorrow."

"Oh. It's raining..." Ichigo added thoughtfully, looking at the gravestone. He shifted the umbrella in his hand from his left to his right hand.

"Yeah. Just goes to show you that you can't trust those weathermen bastards."

"Dad..."

"Yeah. I know. Just gotta keep some humor, especially when your wife died almost twenty years ago."

"What the hell? Dad, Mom died twelve years ago! Can't you even remember the date of your wife's death?"

"Twenty, twelve...it's close."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless. Really, you are. And will you put out that cigarette? I know you do it for Mom, but I just don't want the cancer."

"Oh, come on Ichigo. One little cigarette won't make me kick over just yet. And it's so cute you're worried about me."

"I meant myself."

Isshin grinned and looked at the ground, then dropped the cigarette and squashed it with the heel of his foot. "Fair enough."

Ichigo's cell phone immediately went off and he picked it up, accepting the call. "Hello?"

"Ichigo, it's Urahara. Don't let your family or anyone with you know it's me."

"Yeah, Keigo."

"Good. Now, we need you to meet us tomorrow at the coffee shop in the center of town tomorrow."

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"Just do it." Urahara instructed.

The line clicked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Rukia, your time is running out." Byakuya said coldly. "Your execution has been scheduled for three weeks from now."

Rukia looked away and sighed. _God, I hope you're all right, Ichigo..._

* * *

**_Atagoki: _**_Sorry for being on hiatus, but now I'm back. This chapter was surprisingly not too bad to write, but I'm just happy it's done with. :) Thanks for sticking with me through this story and for my on and off schedule. Many, many thanks. _

_Read and review, por favor. :3  
_


	12. Chapter 11

**The Chemical Reaction**

_**Warnings: **Language._

_**Disclaimer: **Fansite.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

_Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid. _—_ Franklin P. Jones  
_

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The cloaked figure sat, sipping on a glass of ice cold milk, then looked at Urahara. "These kids are taking forever," Yoruichi complained. "Tell them to hurry up."

"And how do you propose I do that? Telepathically?" Urahara said sarcastically.

"Actually—" Yoruichi began.

"Look, here comes Inoue."

The cloaked figure took their legs off the table and sat up right, then finished off the rest of the milk and became attentive to the situation.

Inoue Orihime entered, slightly nervous, but quiet and took a seat beside Yoruichi. "Good morning, Yoruichi-san."

"Morning. Where's everyone else?"

"I do not know."

Urahara had stepped out of the small and enclosed area and into the streets, so Yoruichi looked at Orihime sympathetically (although no one could see it). Truth be told, Yoruichi felt slightly guilty for berating Orihime about her reasons to return to Seireitei. It's not like she wanted to make Orihime feel like a bad friend, however, she did want Orihime to at least acknowledge there were feelings on the table.

"Inoue, look at me." Yoruichi said sternly.

"If you're going to go with Kurosaki to Seireitei to save Rukia, then that's all fine and well. But do not let your feelings for him interfere."

"Yoruichi-san, I would never let anything interfere. Kuchiki-san has saved my life before, thus I'll save hers. Wholesomely and completely without a doubt in my mind or letting anything come before that priority. She's my friend." Orihime replied confidently, then smiled. "Sound good?"

Yoruichi leaned back and shrugged, putting feet back up on the table and grinning maliciously under the hood of the jacket Yoruichi was donning.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I'm here. Stop bitching." Ichigo snapped irately at Urahara, then looked to see Orihime. "Oh, Inoue. I didn't know you were coming."

Orihime grinned and waved at him slowly. "That's fine. I sort of had a feelings you were coming, Kurosaki-kun."

"Now we're just missing two more," Urahara announced gleefully.

"Two more? Who else are you dragging into this?" Ichigo asked harshly, taking residence in a chair.

"Oh, no one. Just your sisters."

"My sisters!" Ichigo screeched, sitting up straight.

Urahara laughed. "No, just kidding."

"It's eleven AM sharp, Kisuke." Yoruichi stated flatly. "Clearly, they don't listen."

"Thank you, Yoruichi. I heard you the first fifty thousand times...oh, and look! Our two other visitors are right on schedule."

Ichigo leaned his head back from the chair he had now reclined in. "Chad?"

"Ishida-kun?" Orihime murmured.

"What are the two of them doing here?" Ichigo asked, looking at Urahara.

"They're here to help." Yoruichi stated flatly.

"I don't need their help. They're only endangering themselves—" Ichigo retorted, before getting cut off by Yoruichi.

"Oh, do shut up. You don't even know what you're getting into. At least Ishida and Inoue have a clue."

"Ishida? As in Ishida Uryu, the prick from my high school who had to make sure everyone knew he was the best student ever?"

A thump came down beside Ichigo on the table and Ichigo jumped away from the sound, falling off his chair, looking up to see the person who slammed the book on the table.

A pair of icy eyes hidden behind wire-framed glasses shot an angered glare. "No, Kurosaki. As in Ishida Uryu, the guy who exposed you for the fool you really are in the science fair."

Yoruichi bursted out laughing. "You were a science fair geek, Kurosaki? Damn. Didn't see that one coming!"

"All right, all right, now that we're all here, let's introduce ourselves and try and explain why we're here. I, of course, am Urahara Kisuke. I called you all here. Why? I think you all can contribute something to this rescue operation. And I don't think Kuchiki Rukia-san deserves to die. I'll be preparing you for your journey to Seireitei."

Yoruichi twirled the now empty glass of milk on the table and looked up for a moment, gold eyes catching the sunlight. "I'm Shihouin Yoruichi; your guide to Seireitei. I'd also like to point out that I'm going to be your boss. You listen to me and you comply when I say it."

Ichigo had regained his composure and taken his seat on the right side of Orihime, running a hand through messy orange hair. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and I want to know why the fuck all these random people are here."

"Good question, Kurosaki-kun! You see, we've connected Kuchiki-san to all of these people. She's connected to Sado-kun because she saved his life during a bank heist not long ago. She's connected to you, well, we all know that you feel indebted to her. She also saved Inoue-san many times and helped her during her work at Seireitei. And Ishida-kun...how again is he connected to Kuchiki-san?" Urahara replied, then looked to Yoruichi for the answer to his question.

"He's a Quincy. There were a few people who worked at Seireitei who's families helped surviving Quincy families escape."

Orihime looked in Yoruichi's direction. "I'm sorry, please excuse me, but I can just not picture Kuchiki Byakuya-sama giving support to those of Quincy decent when they were determined a failed project."

"Because he didn't. Kuchiki-san's sister did." Yoruichi answered.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Her sister?"

"Exactly," Yoruichi continued, beginning to elaborate, "However, due to a terminal illness, she passed away. However, a Quincy is bound by honor to repay his debt, am I correct? I'm sure Kuchiki-san's sister would want you to repay it in this sense, by saving her only flesh and blood."

"And does Rukia know of this?" Ichigo asked.

Yoruichi and Urahara shook their heads, symbolizing the answer 'no'. Ichigo bit his lower lip and nodded, looking down. "Byakuya doesn't either, does he?"

Again, two shaken heads from the two eldest within the group symbolized the answer 'no'.

"This is more complicated than I thought," Ishida mumbled.

Silence—the awkward and undesired kind. Orihime opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Chad remained typically quiet. Ishida used his forefinger and thumb to adjust the position of the wire framed glasses on his face.

"But it doesn't matter." Ichigo finally stated. Everyone's eyes fell on him. "It doesn't matter how complicated this is; I'm going to save Rukia. She put her life on the line for me, and now I'm returning the favor. Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, please help me save Rukia."

"Anyone else interested in saving her?" Urahara asked quietly, his tongue in his cheek now. "I won't give you any lies—this will be the most dangerous time of your life. But ask yourselves if she really deserves to die and if you want to give your life. Don't think you're a coward if you're afraid. A real hero and a brave person both know they're afraid of something, they just put it aside to do what's right. None of us will look ill upon you if you say n—"

"I'm going." Orihime announced firmly. "It doesn't matter what the risks are, I'm going."

Ishida smoothed the sleeves of his cleanly pressed and crisp white shirt out and opened his mouth to speak, "I'm going too. Hell knows that everyone who does go will die if Kurosaki is in charge. He'll forget about food, water and rest."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, muttering a low, "Stupid bastard..."

Chad nodded his head, "Kuchiki-san saved my life. I will save hers in return."

Urahara looked to Yoruichi with a grin. "Great, but there's a few things you ought to know before you go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kukaku," A cool feminine voice spoke on the cell phone, gold eyes sparkling in the moonlight, "I need a favor or two."

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End file.
